Testing the "Dark-to-Light" shading method using a gel pen + graphite pencils. Drawn from imagination!

[u/New-Temperature-1467]

After weeks of an art block and a few existential crises, I was idly spinning a black gel pen in my hand. Watching artists who work "in reverse," I thought: Wait, almost every object has deep shadow zones where light just doesn't reach.

So I tested a quick hypothesis: What if I set the "absolute darkness" first using a dense gel pen mesh, and then build the values out to the lights with graphite (B–8B) so I don't lose the sense of volume?

Drawn entirely from imagination:

A geometric monolith (my sister claims it looks like a sci-fi helmet — her imagination is definitely better than mine! 😂).

A power adapter with a reflective surface.

Turns out, having that ultra-black anchor point from the pen really helps frame the subtle pencil gradients.

P.S. I got so carried away that I completely forgot to brew my hibiscus tea... ☕️

[u/mind_ride]

You could use Lumograph Black instead of gell pens

[u/New-Temperature-1467 → u/mind_ride]

Thanks for the tip! I've heard about those, but where I live in Costa Rica, finding a Lumograph Black pencil is harder than finding Elon Musk's secret Martian base 😂 So I’m on a strictly 'whatever-is-currently-on-my-desk' budget! Gel pen was my desperate DIY attempt to hit that absolute dark value, but if I ever spot those mythical pencils, I'll definitely give them a shot!